


Reverse and Restart

by cassowarykisses



Category: Brave Police J-Decker, The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-30
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 12:44:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1388140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassowarykisses/pseuds/cassowarykisses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the second time Gunmax has switched factions, and he's not expecting a particularly warm welcome home from the Autobots.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reverse and Restart

**Author's Note:**

> written for suddenlycomics over on tumblr, for the prompt "Gunmax and Deckerd, Transformers".

"So how are you holding up?"

Gunmax glanced over his shoulder, looking up at at Deckerd as he approached, then turned back to the edge of the building where he sat. He heard Deckerd’s footsteps stop behind him, and he debated whether to fill the expectant silence that followed. _Sure, whatever._ "Eh, nobody’s tried to shoot me yet," he said with a shrug. "Makes it a couple of times better than the last time I switched factions."

Deckerd sighed. “I had hoped they would be more forgiving. You saved me, and by extension J-Decker, and the Autobots can’t do without us.”

"You can’t expect them to fall over backwards for some guy who’s been everything in the book at some point," Gunmax pointed out. 

"Yes, but . .. " Deckerd sat down beside him and pressed both hands to the ground. “I know it’s what I should expect, but I also know that you’re good at spark. You saved my life.”

Gunmax laughed to cover his discomfort. He may have been sparked an Autobot, but he’d spent too long as a ‘Con to feel anything but uncomfortable with such a vulnerable statement. “Don’t try and set me up too high, baby. I managed to kidnap you from an important battle and drag the name  of  your base patrol through the mud.”

Deckerd smiled. “You saved one of the only two Autobot combiners, and helped unveil a double-agent in  _our_  base patrol.”

Gunmax didn’t miss the emphasis, and looked away. It was still too strange, to think of the base as his, too, after all the work he’d put in to think of the Decepticon base across no-man’s-land as home.

“Don’t worry,” Deckerd said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Drill Boy and Shadowmaru had trouble integrating too, and things worked out fine for them.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Gunmax said, turning back to Deckerd and putting on a smirk. “I bet Drill Boy was more annoying than me, too.”

Deckerd’s optics glowed, happy that Gunmax was responding well. “You’ll have to ask the rest of the Build Team about that one. They were the first ones to work with him.”

“Like base command would let them trash-talk the mech who brought over top-secret combiner plans.”

Deckerd shrugged. “I don’t know. Things were tense when he first joined, too.” He brightened suddenly. “But Shadowmaru would know more – he’s been an Autobot for longer, and he’s a solo operative like you.”

Gunmax hid a wince; Shadowmaru and Kagerou had been well-known on his old base, to say the least – neither they nor command had exactly made a secret of their alt-mode experiments. It was wrong, somehow, to look at Shadowmaru and not think he was seeing double. Anyway, it was almost unnatural to survive a spark-twin’s death, and the speculation between the Decepticons had been that the shock had altered his personality, so Shadowmaru wasn’t really the same mech who had laughed with them and shown off the progress on altering his body. It was easier that way. Gunmax could already hear the rumors that _he’d_ been a double agent going around base.

“Are you okay?” Deckerd asked, pressing his hand against Gunmax’s backstruts. He started, and shook his head.  _Must’ve been quiet too long_ , he thought.

“Just peachy,” he said, shrugging away Deckerd’s hand. “It’ll just be strange, seeing old dog-bot hanging around here.”

“I don’t doubt it, Gunmax,” Deckerd said. Gunmax was glad he didn’t ask for more detail. Maybe later, when things were less hectic, or maybe when he was ordered to. He doubted that he could cover much that Drill Boy and Shadowmaru couldn’t – no ex-Autobot like him would have as high a clearance as a forged ‘Con.

They were quiet for a long moment before Gunmax spoke. “Okay, we’ve been over how difficult switching sides will be. Duh! But it won’t be all bad – I know that from experience.”

Deckerd’s optics flashed with surprise, and Gunmax suspected that Deckerd hadn’t expected him to even mention his previous change. “Of – of course!” He cleared the startled look from his face, and smiled at Gunmax. “Something must have brought Shadowmaru and Drill Boy to us, and something else must have brought you back.”

Now it was Gunmax’s turn to be startled. “Uh. Yeah.”

Deckerd opened his mouth to speak, but the sudden chime of the shift change alert cut across their comms, interrupting him. “What a shame,” he said instead, sighing. He stood up and offered his hand to Gunmax. “Do you want to meet here again after our shift?”

“What, you want me to take your socializing advice or do you want me all to yourself?” Gunmax said, spreading his arms like he was victimized.

He turned to go, but Deckerd caught his arm. “Gunmax – your skydart is in the mechanic’s. It might be repairable.”

Gunmax shifted a little to look him in the optic. “More likely it’ll be used for scrap.” Which was a shame, really – he’d spent his own money for that bike and fixed it up itself. Hell, he’d spent at least half his downtime as a Decepticon maintaining it.

Deckerd shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. But they’ll certainly be able to salvage parts from it, and that might make them more likely to lend you one early.”

“I don’t know,” Gunmax said. “Not everyone’s as charitable as you.” He hadn’t expected Deckerd to check on his ride – really,  _he’d_  given up on it after seeing the state of it. Actually, he hadn’t even bothered to bring it back to base, because he didn’t think he could stand seeing all of his hard work and love twisted up and burnt. One of the Build Team must have done it. Later, he’d have to dredge up his old Autobot socialization and go thank them. If they’d work with one ex-Decepticon, what was another? He added belatedly, “I don’t even know how to ride those things. I could improvise, but I don’t think  _crashing_  would endear me to the mechanics or the medics.”

Deckerd grinned. “That’s not a problem. We use them for long-distance patrols in the swamps. I can teach you.”

“Wait, really?” Gunmax blurted out. Damn, he’d sounded way too excited. But with Autobots, that would be more endearing than a notable weakness.

“Of course, Gunmax,” Deckerd said. “But I shouldn’t promise you before we know if your original skydart is repaired.”

“With you on it, any vehicle could replace her in my spark,” Gunmax said. “Meet me down there as soon as you get off.”

“I’ll see you there,” Deckerd promised.

Gunmax nodded. “You’d better keep to that, Autobot, or I might lose faith in you,” he teased.

“You probably shouldn’t say that where it could be recorded,” Deckered pointed out.

Gunmax waved a hand. “You’re too soft to turn me in. Plus, where would I go? Back to the ‘Cons for a nice, slow execution? That’s never been part of my plans.”

“I probably am,” Deckerd said. “I’d speak for you if someone else tried to turn you in.”

“What, you want to bring back memories of me dragging you around while both sides tried to hunt us down?”

Deckerd shook his head. “They won’t do that again, not with your old partner in the brig.” He paused, and looked Gunmax in the optic. “You do know it was him that gave the intel for us to be hunted down, not the base command?”

“Yeah,” Gunmax said quietly, “I guessed.”

Deckerd nudged his shoulder. “But it turned out alright in the end, didn’t it?”

“Of course, of course,” Gunmax said. “With us working together, we couldn’t fail.”

“I know,” Deckerd said, “And that’s why this will turn out alright too. In a couple of years, no-one will care anymore.”

_It might take longer than that_ , Gunmax thought,  but felt a little kernel of hope down in his spark. Probably nothing that would last, but it was better than nothing.

“Come on,” Deckerd said, “We need to get to our shifts.”

“What, you think a bad impression would put me back a couple of years?” Gunmax said, strolling in front of Deckerd towards the hatch downwards.

“Maybe with the vice-commander,” Deckerd said.

“Pfft, I already knew that one,” Gunmax said, waving his hand dismissively. Deckerd laughed, and Gunmax smiled slightly, where Deckerd couldn’t see him. He’d have to see those skydarts first, but this might turn out okay after all.


End file.
